PREVIOUS SUBMARINE DISASTERS

UNDER‑WATER CRAFTS’ HEAVY TOLL OF LIFE

South Wales Daily Post

In a sombre retrospective reported by the South Wales Daily Post in July 1929, the newspaper reminded its readers of the long and tragic lineage of British under‑water craft, setting out a stark roll of disasters that have marked the submarine service since the dawn of the century. The Post’s list, reproduced below, stands as a grim testament to the hazards faced by the silent fleet:

• 1904 — A1 Collision — Eleven lives lost when the vessel’s periscope was struck by the steamer Berwick Castle.

• 1905 — A5 Petrol Explosion — Eleven killed in Queenstown Harbour.

• 1905 — A8 Foundering — Fifteen drowned outside Plymouth breakwater.

• 1905 — A4 Collision — Four dead after impact within Plymouth breakwater.

• 1907 — C8 Explosion — Three killed in Portsmouth Harbour.

• 1909 — C11 Sinking — Thirteen lost when struck by the steamer Eddystone en route to a Thames pageant.

• 1912 — A3 Collision — Fourteen killed off the Isle of Wight after being struck by the gunboat Hazard.

• 1912 — B2 Run Down — Fifteen lost when hit by the steamer America.

• 1913 — E3 Explosion — Three killed.

• 1914 — C14 Collision — Collision off Plymouth.

• 1914 — A7 Mud Entrapment — Eleven lives lost when the vessel became stuck in mud off Plymouth.

• 1921 — K5 Disappearance — Fifty‑seven lost off the Scilly Isles during diving practice.

• 1924 — H42 Rammed — Twenty‑six killed near Gibraltar when struck by a destroyer.

• 1924 — L24 Sunk — Forty‑three killed during manoeuvres off Portland.

• 1925 — M1 Lost — Six lives lost off Start Point.

• 1926 — H29 Sunk — Six killed when the vessel sank in dock at Devonport.

Minor mishaps have also been recorded in recent years; notably, L5 narrowly escaped disaster in January after colliding with a dredger.